News in Shorts- 14 June 2024

Joshimath

• About: Joshimath is a hill station in Uttarakhand situated at the confluence of the Alaknanda and Dhauliganga rivers at Vishnuprayag. The town offers stunning views of Hathi Parvat and other Himalayan peaks, making it a favoured destination.
• Joshimath was in the news in 2023 due to land subsidence.
• History: Originally known as Jyotirmath, the town’s name evolved to Joshimath over time.
  • According to local tradition, Adi Guru Shankaracharya meditated here in the 8th century and achieved enlightenment under the sacred Amar Kalpa tree, known as Divya Gyan Jyoti.
  • Jyotirmath (also known as Jyotir Peeth) one of the four cardinal math established by the 8th century Adi Guru Shankaracharya to Propagate Advait Vedanta was Joshimath.

Rapid Diagnostic Test for UTIs

• Recently, Sysmex Astrego, a diagnostic company headquartered in Sweden, was awarded the £10 million Longitude Prize for creating the advanced UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) test known as the PA-100 AST System.

About PA-100 AST System 

• Technological Advancement: Sysmex Astrego has developed a system that utilises a phenotypic test to rapidly identify UTI bacteria and conduct antibiotic susceptibility testing in less than 45 minutes.
• Operational Method: The system employs a single-use cartridge that processes less than half a millilitre of urine, utilising microfluidic traps and phase-contrast imaging within a compact reader instrument the size of a shoebox.
• Clinical Significance: Offers swift determination of antibiotic sensitivity (“sensitive” or “resistant”), assisting healthcare providers in making prompt and precise treatment decisions directly at the point of care.

India-made TB diagnostics tech wins acclaim at World Health Assembly

• Recently, the Truenat platform, developed in India, was lauded at the 77th World Health Assembly in Geneva for its rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis.

Truenat platform

• About: Molbio in Goa developed the Truenat platform, a rapid molecular test for diagnosing pulmonary, extrapulmonary, and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis.
• Features of the Truenat Platform: This portable, battery-operated machine provides results from samples in under an hour and can screen for more than 40 diseases.
• Utilisation: With approximately 10,000 installations worldwide, Truenat is deployed in over 7,000 primary and community health centres as part of the National TB Elimination Programme. 
  • Additionally, it is utilised in around 1,500 private laboratories across the country.

World Health Assembly

• About: The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of WHO. 
• Members: Delegations from all WHO Member States attend this meeting, which focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board. 
• Functions: The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to determine the organisation’s policies, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget. 
• Location: The Health Assembly is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland.

2024 Kavli Prize

• The 2024 Kavli Prize recipients were announced recently. 
  • Eight individuals were honoured for their astrophysics, neuroscience, and nanoscience advancements.

Kavli Prize

• About: The Kavli Prize is named in honour of Norwegian-American businessman and philanthropist Fred Kavli (1927-2013).
• Award Categories: The prizes are awarded in three distinct fields: astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience—representing the largest, smallest, and most complex realms of scientific exploration.

2024 Kavli Prize Winners

• Astrophysics: David Charbonneau and Sara Seager received this year’s astrophysics prize for their pioneering work in discovering exoplanets and characterising their atmospheres.
• Nanoscience: Robert Langer, Armand Paul Alivisatos, and Chad Mirkin were honoured for their groundbreaking contributions to nanoscience, particularly in biomedical applications.
• Neuroscience:  Nancy Kanwisher, Winrich Freiwald, and Doris Tsao were recognised in neuroscience for their extensive research spanning decades, elucidating the brain mechanisms underlying facial recognition.